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Recommendations for WiFi Extenders/Repeaters/Mesh Networks etc
Opty
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My house's wifi is really weak in the back bedroom and I'd like to look into the various ways to extend my network into the room. Does anyone have any recommendations for what to use and why? I'd prefer a setup where we don't end up with another network we have to connect to, but if the only way to get that is to pay hundreds of dollars (I'm thinking $100 max budget here) then we'll go with whatever's cheap while still being good.
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You could use Ethernet and a wireless access point in that room or get an "extender" and put it halfway between good signal and shit signal though my experience with extenders has been universally poor.
This is one of those buy once cry once purchases imo.
Any router can be configured as an access point with a small amount of work. I would also recommend that over extenders.
I have an old Netgear router that I could use for that, will it work when connecting to a Comcast xFi router/modem or would I need a dedicated base router that I could do actual configuration editing with?
Nah, the Netgear router should work just fine.
You have to do a little homework. If it doesn't have an "Access Point" mode, make sure you have DHCP shut off, and only connect to one of its LAN ports; not the WAN port. Also make sure you have the same (I'm probably going to get this nomenclature wrong) Subnet as the XFi (i.e. if the XFi is on 192.168.1.X; the Netgear has to also be on 192.168.1.X; instead of 192.168.0.X).
A guide I followed also reserved an IP for the Netgear at the XFi router, but I don't think that's 100% necessary.
Most Netgear routers in the last few years will have an AP mode. But if it doesn't, yeah, shutting off DHCP is pretty much the trick. I tend to reserve an AP something in the high end, like 10.0.0.251, just to make sure nothing else tries to step on it.